Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera told a CNN host that the vaccination status of American citizens is absolutely the business of the federal government. This statement requires a bit of background for the sake of context.
Joe Biden announced that his administration will go door-to-door to inform Americans about the safety and availability of the vaccine. Jen Psaki said the outreach will be “targeted”. This led to speculation and questions about whether or not there is a database of vaccinated Americans. The Government denies that. But some Americans also believe that the Government should not send people door to door to inquire about such sensitive matters. Apparently, Xavier Beccera disagrees with that notion.
Not only does Xavier Beccera disagree with Americans who oppose door-knocking to inquire about vaccination status, but he also doubled down in his explanation. Beccera says that the Government is paying a tremendous amount of money to keep all Americans safe, so it’s their business to know what Americans are going through. This statement was later clarified to include a rebuke of the “database” rumor. Beccera also said that door-knocking isn’t illegal and that they will continue to do it.
Government officials going door-to-door to inquire about a private medical matter seems quite ominous. Reminiscent of George Orwell’s book “1984”. There is a real-world, non-fiction example of the proposed door-to-door efforts that happened recently. This is before the vaccine was available when testing was all-the-rage. Someone in the great state of Tennessee had the bright idea to send the national guard troops to low-income areas to get more people tested. The guard was going to be fully uniformed in places like housing projects. Local NAACP members rebuffed this effort, citing the fear factor that fully uniformed men asking medical questions would bring.
The best option would be to have vaccination and/or testing sites close to where a majority of the population lives. Ron Desantis did exactly that in Florida. Walgreens and RiteAid had the vaccine first with the task of getting it to the elderly. Then the vaccine was hosted at Publix grocery stores because 90% of seniors in Florida live within a mile and a half of a Publix. Easy access and choice is the name of the game. When it becomes authoritarian and statements like “do it because we paid a lot of money for it” become normal, then there is obviously a serious problem.
SOURCES:
HHS chief says his vaccine comments are being taken ‘wildly out of context’ – POLITICO
HHS Secretary Becerra: ‘Absolutely the government’s business’ to know which Americans haven’t been vaccinated | Fox News
Becerra on Door-to-Door Vaccination Effort: ‘Absolutely the Government’s Business’ to Know Who Has Been Vaccinated
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